It may be naive, but I still think if we had 10,000 at our war protest in Lawrence, Ks instead of 1,000 that it would have had an impact. One of the reasons there wasn't, was the fact that so many people swallowed the lies. But it goes far beyond just the lies that one Presidential administration was telling. There was also a compliant M$M. There is also the education system and books and magazines that create and perpetuate a conventional wisdom.

Conventional wisdom that is believed by the masses as fervently as any religion. Some of that is probably rock solid - the goodness of America, the freedom and prosperity of America, etc. But some of it changes over time. The taxes = bad belief was not part of the political conversation in the 1970s as far as I know, but since the Reagan "revolution" that concept has been promoted by a variety of rightwing 'think' tanks, compliant talking-heads and editorial writers, and politicians of all stripes. Apparently even to tell a household making $200,000 that we will tax an extra $5 for every $1,000 you make would be political suicide and so everyone races to offer tax cuts to all families making less than $150,000. It's all part of going with the flow instead of being a boat against the current.